This invention relates to a device for guiding a forward end of a trailer tongue into coupling engagement with a receiver hitch of a towing vehicle.
Vehicles have been used to tow a wide variety of trailers for many years. For example, boat trailers, utility trailers, tent trailers, agricultural trailers; vehicles have towed all dual axle trailers, among others. A vehicle hitch and trailer coupling or hitch are commonly used to couple the vehicle to the trailer. Various devices have been developed to assist coupling the vehicle to the trailer. For ease of discussion, the coupling between a boat trailer and a truck will be described. Typically, the vehicle receiver hitch is mounted to a rearward portion of the truck frame and the trailer coupling is mounted to the tongue of the trailer. Vehicle receiver hitches are available that include a removable ball mount. The ball mount has one end that engages within the receiver hitch and the other end includes a drop or rise with an aperture extending through the end. A hitch ball includes a threaded bolt extending from the ball. Thus, the ball may be bolted to the ball mount through the aperture, with the ball mount oriented in the rise or drop position. The trailer coupling or hitch typically includes a socket that fits over the ball and includes a latch that wraps under a portion of the ball to restrict removal of the ball from the socket.
When the load on the trailer is positioned over the axles of the trailer and/or the weight on the trailer is minimal, the tongue weight may be light enough for the user to elevate the tongue and pull the trailer into alignment and engagement with the vehicle hitch. However, the user may not always be able to elevate the tongue and pull the trailer into alignment with the vehicle hitch. Thus, in those instances, the vehicle must be maneuvered so that the hitch ball of the vehicle hitch aligns with the trailer hitch attached to the forward end of the tongue of the trailer.
When backing the towing vehicle towards the trailer, oftentimes it is difficult for the driver to see both the forward end of the trailer tongue and the vehicle hitch. The inability to see both the forward end of the trailer tongue and the vehicle hitch may lead to misalignment and may require several attempts to align the vehicle hitch and trailer tongue. Once the trailer hitch and tongue are aligned, the bottom of the trailer hitch needs to be elevated above the hitch ball extending above the ball mount of the vehicle hitch. A jack attached to the tongue of the trailer has been used to elevate the tongue of the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,422 issued to Austin describes a hitch alignment apparatus that mounts underneath the drawbar or ball mount of the vehicle hitch. The hitch alignment apparatus includes a ramp and sides that guide and center the forward end of the trailer tongue until the forward end strikes a backing plate of the hitch alignment apparatus. The friction between the ramp and the trailer tongue is substantial and a significant force is required to force the trailer tongue up the ramp. Once the forward end of the tongue strikes the backing plate, the user then uses a jack to elevate the tongue above the ramp and then removes the hitch alignment apparatus from the ball mount. The user then lowers the trailer tongue until the coupling member of the trailer tongue engages the hitch ball of the vehicle hitch. The manual raising and lowering of the trailer tongue and the removal of the hitch alignment apparatus before coupling the trailer to the vehicle is time consuming and is not preferred.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,978 issued to Schrum III recognizes that past devices have attempted to provide means for aligning the trailer socket and ball, however, the past devices were indicated as too expensive to construct or too complicated to operate. Although Schrum III apparently describes a self-aligning trailer hitch, the hitch described by Schrum III also has shortcomings that are overcome by the present invention. Schrum III describes a trailer hitch having a ramp pivotally mounted to the ball mount oriented with a rise and a support element welded to the ball mount. The ramp requires doors that open when the ramp drops over the hitch ball. Rollers are attached to a forward side and upper forward end of a ball socket of the trailer tongue. The trailer hitch described by Schrum III is not operable with a trailer mount oriented with a drop. Further, when the tongue weight exceeds a certain amount, the roller assembly described by Schrum III is likely to rotate upward causing the bottom of the coupling to scrape along the ramp. Also, if the trailer and vehicle are not on an even surface, for example, if the vehicle is on a flat portion and the trailer is on a slight incline, the rollers described by Schrum III may prove ineffective and the bottom of the coupling may come into direct contact with the ramp, thereby substantially increasing the force required to force the coupling up the ramp. Thus, a need exists for a trailer hitch guide that effectively elevates and guides a forward end of the trailer hitch into coupling engagement with a receiver hitch of a towing vehicle, wherein the guide is operable with a ball mount oriented with a rise or drop, and wherein friction between the guide and trailer tongue is reduced. The present invention meets these and other needs that will become apparent from a review of the description of the present invention.
The invention is directed to a frame for attachment to a trailer hitch.
The first aspect of the invention is a frame for attachment to a trailer hitch, having longitudinally spaced forward and rearward ends, for purposes of facilitating alignment and coupling of the trailer hitch to a vehicle hitch. The frame comprises a first mounting arm attached to the trailer hitch, a second mounting arm attached to the trailer hitch, and an articulated contact plate. The articulated contact plate is repositionally attached to the first and second mounting arms for repositioning of the contact plate as between a first position and a second position. In the first position the contact plate longitudinally extends past the forward end of the trailer hitch. In the second position the contact plate does not longitudinally extend past the forward end of the trailer hitch.
The second aspect of the invention is a frame for attachment to a trailer hitch having longitudinally spaced forward and rearward ends and a bottom, for purposes of facilitating alignment and coupling of the trailer hitch to a vehicle hitch. The frame comprises a first mounting arm attached to the trailer hitch, a second mounting arm attached to the trailer hitch, and a contact plate. The first mounting arm has a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, and a longitudinally extending first slot proximate the first end. The second mounting arm has a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, and a longitudinally extending second slot proximate the first end. The articulated contact plate has a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinally extending ledge positioned near the distal end. The articulated contact plate is repositionally attached to the first and second mounting arms for repositioning of the contact plate as between a primary position and a secondary position. In the primary position the contact plate is positioned and arranged so as to form a longitudinal gap between the ledge and the forward end of the trailer hitch. In the secondary position the contact plate is positioned and arranged so that the bottom of the forward end of the trailer hitch rests on the ledge and no longitudinal gap is formed.
The third aspect of the invention is a frame for attachment to a trailer hitch having longitudinally spaced forward and rearward ends, for purposes of facilitating alignment and coupling of the trailer hitch to a vehicle hitch. The frame comprises a first articulated brace, a second articulated brace, and a face plate. The first articulated brace has a first end, a second end, and a first joint intermediate the first end and the second end. The second articulated brace has a first end, a second end, and a second joint intermediate the first end and the second end. The face plate is attached proximate the first end of the first brace and the first end of the second brace. The face plate is repositionable as between a first position and a second position. In the first position the face plate longitudinally extends past the forward end of the trailer hitch. In the second position the face plate does not longitudinally extend past the forward end of the trailer hitch.
The fourth aspect of the invention is a frame for attachment to a trailer hitch having longitudinally spaced forward and rearward ends and a bottom, for purposes of facilitating alignment and coupling of the trailer hitch to a vehicle hitch. The frame comprises a first articulated brace attached to the trailer hitch, a second articulated brace attached to the trailer hitch, and a face plate. The first articulated brace has a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, and a first joint intermediate the first end and the second end. The second articulated brace has a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, and a second joint intermediate the first end and the second end. The face plate has a longitudinally extending ledge attached proximate the first end of the first brace and the first end of the second brace. The face plate is repositionable as between a primary position and a secondary position. In the primary position the face plate is positioned and arranged so as to form a longitudinal gap between the ledge and the forward end of the trailer hitch. In the secondary position the face plate is positioned and arranged so that the bottom of the forward end of the trailer hitch rests on the ledge and no longitudinal gap is formed.